When Peter the Great laid the foundation for a new citythe very nose of the Swedes, with whom he fought then, he had to carefully consider the defense system. In the Gulf of Finland there are many islets. They, with reasonable use, could serve as a reliable defense of St. Petersburg. The most remote island from the city is Kotlin. He also had to guard the entrance to the bay from the Swedish ships. Since Kotlin took on the first blow of a potential adversary, he had to be well fortified. In 1703, Peter the Great personally laid the foundation stone of the Kronchosloss fortress. Approximately at the same time, the king founded the city on the island of Kotlin. It was called Kronstadt. According to the military canons of that time, the fortress was to additionally guard the earth fortification shafts - the trenches. They have survived to date, several, in the worst or better condition. We offer you to make a virtual tour to one of them - the fort "Shantz".
How to get to Kronstadt
To get acquainted with the sightsfortifications of St. Petersburg, first you need to come to the island of Kotlin. Until the 80s of the last century it could be done only on water. So the trip was largely dependent on the weather conditions in the Neva Bay and the Gulf of Finland. Now the island connects with a large earth dam. The most convenient way to get to Kotlin is to see Fort Shantz, by bus number 101, which departs from the metro station Staraya Derevnya. Within an hour you will be there. Other options: from the metro station "Chernaya Rechka" there is a minibus K405; from the s / m "Prospekt Prosveshcheniya" - K407; from the shopping center "Mega-Parns" - bus number 816. If you prefer railroad transport, then from the Baltic station, frequent trains run to Kalishche and Oranienbaum-1. But you will also need to change to bus number 175. If you want to turn the trip to the island of Kotlin into an exciting excursion and you will not regret it 700 rubles, you can get to Kronstadt in the old fashioned way - by water. But these are not voyage vessels, which were canceled because of the unprofitability from the moment the dam was put into operation. Excursion meteors during navigation (April-October) depart from Vasilievsky Island, from Tuchkov Bridge.
Fort "Shantz" (Kronstadt): how to reach
All land transport arrives in the centralPart of city. The final stops of minibuses from St. Petersburg to Kronstadt are Civic Street, Roshal Square or House of Life. The island of Kotlin is not very large in size, so you can get to its fortifications on foot. But why not use local transport? As one of the city buses goes directly to the fort "Shantz" (Kronstadt). How to get to the sights of interest to us? We reach first to the Leningrad pier. There we take bus number 2. The trip costs 15 rubles and is paid for by the driver. Strengthening of "Shantz" is the final point of this route. If you are traveling by car, you should drive from Zosimov Street along the Kronstadt Highway.
History of construction
Fort "Shantz" - one of the first defensiveredoubts fortress Kronshloss. It was laid in 1706 and proved to be in action during the Northern War. Subsequently, the fort was repeatedly rebuilt and strengthened. The oldest part is on the right flank of the modern redoubt. It was called "Alexander Shanets." Then the fort was supplemented with the redoubts "Mikhail", "Nicholas" and "Litera V" ("Kurtinnoy"). All these fortifications were collectively called the Alexandrov battery. At the end of the nineteenth century, the last major restructuring took place, aimed at strengthening the defensive importance of the fort "Shantz". It was then that the fortification line received this name.
Modern history of fortifications
But after World War I it became clear that inThe current conditions of military operations forts are useless. The vacated casemates were used for basing headquarters. During the Second World War, the fort "Shantz" in Kronstadt served as the location of the railway battery of artillerymen. After 1945, all the fortifications on Kotlin and the surrounding islands came to desolation. In some of them tests were carried out for flammable and explosive substances. They say that in some of the forts an ampoule with a virus of the plague is buried. In any case, it is better not to wander around the fortifications without a guide. After all, despite the fact that forts are declared objects of cultural heritage and taken under state protection, their condition is assessed as extremely unsatisfactory. There is a danger of collapse of the ceiling and collapse of the floors.
What is this attraction of Kronstadt?
And still visit at least once Alexandrovskayathe battery is definitely worth it. Despite the complete desolation and traces of vandalism, it will be of interest to lovers of fortification architecture. The battery completely covers the northern spit of Kotlin Island, serving as protection from the north not only to St. Petersburg, but also to the city with such a beautiful name - Kronstadt. Fort "Shantz", built in the late nineteenth century on the site of obsolete redoubts, is a long and high earthen rampart. It connects all three concrete batteries. Central was intended for guns, on the flanks were located mortar redoubts. At the top of the shaft were installed twelve open artillery positions, which covered a high parapet of concrete. The courtyards in which the guns stood were separated by a two-level traverse. You can see bunkers for the shelter of the artillery brigade and a warehouse for shells.
Fort "Shantz" (Kronstadt): the beach
Bathing in the Gulf of Finland - it's fun onlover. But there are also very hot days in St. Petersburg. And then you want to swim and swim. Few people know that behind the fort "Shantz" extends a long sandbank. The water here warms up quickly, so bathing will bring true joy, so that rest will seem paradisiacal to you.
